New year, new job

After the Spring Festival holiday, labor markets across China are swarming with a constant stream of migrant workers. Just one day after the break, the number of the job applicants surpassed 1,000 in Beijing alone. Recruiting companies are mostly hotels, guesthouses, property companies, and available jobs are mostly cleaning, security, chefs, couriers, parking managers, drivers and maintenance workers. However, there is still a great disparity between the conditions and benefits provided by enterprises and the desired wages from job seekers. Overall, monthly salaries have not significantly improved since last year. For cleaning and security it is generally 2,000-3,000 yuan; chef 3,000-4,000 yuan; waiter generally less than 4,000 yuan; driver 6,000 yuan; electric welder, fitter, lathe operator and other skilled workers generally no more than 5,000 yuan. Companies often offer a flexible wage range between 2,000 and 5,000 yuan, but some job seekers say that the opportunity to get a highest number is so small that many end up getting only "the starting salary".